Gandalf in the High Fells: AUJ: Extended Edition or The Desolation of Smaug?

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Now we're not sure yet if this scene will be in the AUJ: EE or DOS. The WETA Chronicles book features the High Fells, but then we have Peter Jackson recently talking about Gandalf exploring tombs in DOS, which might be a reference to Dol Guldur or the High Fells.

Perhaps I'm the last one to realize this (apologies if so) but today I remembered that we see Gandalf in the High Fells in the second trailer, which arrived in late September, just two months before the final AUJ was cut. Now we know a lot of Gandalf in Dol Guldur will be in film two, but since this trailer would have been put together AFTER the decision to make it three films, surely Jackson would have already decided in the main what would end up in film one and in film two? Tthus the second trailer does not feature shots of Gandalf in Dol Guldur fighting Thrain, or anything after the Carrock, for example.

This to me suggests that Gandalf in the High Fells was meant to be in AUJ and thus will probably be in the extended edition rather than moved to film two. That the WETA book appeared in December and features only things we see in the film and confirmed for the extended edition (Old Took's party, the Hobbiton marketplace, etc) corroborates the idea.

This scene could be included in the AUJ EE or be used as a flashback in DOS. All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost, The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

In AUJ, Galadriel commented that the "riddle of the Morgul blade" needs to be investigated. To my mind, that suggests it will be, and in a theatrical edition rather than in an EE.

I'm not clear on when this is supposed to happen, time-wise (other than, before a battle at Dol Guldur...) but if it needs to happen too early in DoS for some reason, it could be shown when Gandalf is recounting this event to someone else (Galadriel/the White Council) rather the way we saw Radagast's encounter with the Witch King and the Necromancer after Radagast tracked Gandalf down to tell him about it.

While the Dwarves walked across the misty mountains and goblin town Alot of time passes before Gandalf returns and saves them from the Goblin King

In the hook (at least) Gandalf is with the company for the entire journey through the Misty Mountains, only getting separated when Bilbo and the dwarves are captured by the goblins. Even then, one supposes that the Wizard follows the others using some form of glamour to conceal his presence from the goblins until he strikes down the Great Goblin with Glamdring. That is certainly not a good time for him to go galavanting off on a side-quest. 'There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world.' - Gandalf the Grey, The Fellowship of the Ring

I would rather the High Fell, which is a fairly massive devation (unlike Dol Guldur) remain in EE
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It strays much further from the cannon, re-writing the history of Arnor, Lindon, Rivendell and The Nine. As long as there is no awesome footage of Gandalf and Radagast taking on the Nazgul there, I would preffer that it remain in EE, while the much more cannon based excursions to Dol Guldur will hopefully appear in the movies (and hopefully Gandalf will really get to shine in his solo missions there, against the minions of Sauron. . . hopes for a lift, paste and copy of his battle against a certain group of Wraiths atop Amon Sul)?!

In Reply To

Now we're not sure yet if this scene will be in the AUJ: EE or DOS. The WETA Chronicles book features the High Fells, but then we have Peter Jackson recently talking about Gandalf exploring tombs in DOS, which might be a reference to Dol Guldur or the High Fells.

Perhaps I'm the last one to realize this (apologies if so) but today I remembered that we see Gandalf in the High Fells in the second trailer, which arrived in late September, just two months before the final AUJ was cut. Now we know a lot of Gandalf in Dol Guldur will be in film two, but since this trailer would have been put together AFTER the decision to make it three films, surely Jackson would have already decided in the main what would end up in film one and in film two? Tthus the second trailer does not feature shots of Gandalf in Dol Guldur fighting Thrain, or anything after the Carrock, for example.

This to me suggests that Gandalf in the High Fells was meant to be in AUJ and thus will probably be in the extended edition rather than moved to film two. That the WETA book appeared in December and features only things we see in the film and confirmed for the extended edition (Old Took's party, the Hobbiton marketplace, etc) corroborates the idea.

"Hear me, hounds of Sauron, Gandalf is here! Fly if you value your foul skins, I will shrivel you from tail to snout if you step within this circle!"

"Do not be to eager to deal out death in judgement. Even the very wise cannot see all ends."